Tricks for Recording iMovie and More

When it comes to recording and editing movies, iMovie is often seen as one of the best and safest programs because it was developed by Apple themselves. With the ability to create high-quality trailers and then instantly upload your clip to a multitude of social media and online platforms, iMovie has become extremely popular in recent years but others are still unaware that it can be used to record. If you’re interested in creating instructional videos or gameplay, iMovie is a great program as long as you know how to use it.

How to Capture

If you are unaware how to capture video using iMovie or were unaware that iMovie even had that capability, we will give you a comprehensive tutorial as well as some top tips. One of the benefits of using iMovie is that you can record your webcam and then edit it in the same platform instantly; both the built-in iSight camera and an external iSight camera can be used to record.

With the more recent Mac models, you will probably find an internal iSight camera and you should be able to use the import button on the toolbar to find the feed that you wish to use. With this in mind, you can record without the use of any additional hardware. After you open the camera feed, you will be able to record your webcam live.

However, older models of Mac do not boast this feature which means that you may have to purchase an external iSight camera. In truth, the results are near enough exactly the same but you will just have to connect this extra device instead of having it pre-installed. Of course, the benefit of using an external camera is that you can move it around to a location you are happy with to make use of lighting and sound quality. Whichever you have, the following steps will help you to record;

1. As mentioned previously, you will see a list of cameras available if you click on the ‘Import’ button. If you’re using an external iSight camera, you will have to connect it to your Mac first.

2. Once you click on your chosen option, a live feed will appear in the import window and you should be able to move around the camera to get your chosen angle (if external).

3. Once you’re ready, go ahead and click record and the live video image will be recorded.

4. When you’ve done or said whatever was intended, simply end the recording by clicking ‘Done’.

Although iMovie does have its good points, it also has drawbacks in that it can only record the webcam and that there are no options to modify any settings. If you’re looking for something a little more inclusive, we have an alternative method.

Mac Screen Grabber Pro

2-4 Mins

Easy

Versatile

With a fantastic tool, Mac Screen Recorder, you can have the best of both worlds by using iMovie but also recording the screen which the standard app doesn’t allow you to do. Whether you want to record the whole screen or just one portion, this tool will record high-quality for your tutorials or gameplay videos. If you still require the webcam, this is also possible because you can record picture-in-picture videos. Even if you don’t need to record, this app also offers users the opportunity to change the format of the videos whenever required. Finally, recordings can also be scheduled ahead of time. Once again, we have fantastic tips on how to get started.

Firstly, you will have to download and install the screen recorder from their website.

Once installed, you can edit whichever settings you want by clicking on the ‘Options’. Not only can you change the frame rate, you will also have the chance to edit the cursor settings, quality, and even set useful hotkeys.

Then, simply open the window that you want to record and choose a recording mode. Here, you will be able to select whether you want to record the screen or the webcam. If you’re looking to record both, select the region option and drag the cursor over the screen. After doing this, click on the webcam icon and this will then be added to your recording.

Once you’re ready, you can hit record and then stop whenever finished.

All in all, Mac Screen Recorder is widely regarded to be the best of all the options because it has been designed purely for screen recording. When recording, the users can change whatever settings they wish and there are a number of settings that make each task easy to complete.

Cindy Smith

Cindy has been a website editor for some years. She has reviewed numerous multimedia software like screen recorder, video downloading programs and more. She contributes to articles regarding PDF editing tips and video downloads.